Coupling.



PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904.

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A TTOHNE YS IINTTan STATES Patented November 29, 1904.

JACOB VVIENS BULLER, OF JANSEN, NEBRASKA.

COUPLING- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 776,292,dated November 29, 1904.

Application filed August 3, 1904. Serial No, 219,328. tNo model.)

'To all whom t may concern:

l or the like-the object being' to provide a coupling of novel andsimple construction that will automatically move to and lock in closedposition.

I will describe a coupling embodying my invention and then point out thenovel features in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying' drawings, iorminga part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the iigures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a coupling embodying my invention. Fig.2 is a section on the line m a of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a section on theline g/ 1/ of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section showing amodification, and Fig'. 5 is a section on the line e ,e of Fig. 4.

One member oi' the coupling, which is designed to be attached to adevice to be drawn, consists of an upper plate 1 and a lower plate 2,connected by a cross-bar 3 to give `suiiicient strength, and arrangedbetween them is a coupling-pin 4:. The'other member of the coupling',designed to be connected to a traction-engine or the like, consists ofaV hollow head 5, having' a tubular shank 6 extended through an openingin bars 7, attached to the engine. Surrounding the shank 6 between thebars 7 and anut 8 on the shank is a draft or buffer spring 9.

Pivotally connected to the head are the locking-jaws 10 11, the ends oiwhich at the inner side are divergent, as clearly shown in thedrawings,so that the coupling-pin may readily pass between them toseparate the jaws. Inward of these divergent endseach jaw is providedwith a substantially semicircular recess 12. The inner ends of the jawsare reduced in thickness, as indicated at 13, and pivot-pins 14 passthrough these reduced portions and also through the upper and lowerwalls of the head. One of the reduced portions 13 has a tooth 15,designed to engage in a notch 16, formed in the other reduced portion13. These portions 13 are also provided at their inner edges withshoulders 17, designed to be engaged by a sliding locking-block 18. Thisblock 18 has a rod 19 extended from it into the tubular shank (i, andprojected from the end of this rod 19 through an opening in the end wallot' the shank 6 is a reduced portion 20, designed to be engaged by a rodor cable 21 for the purpose of drawing the lockingblock out or.'engagement with the shoulders 17. The locking-block is pressed inward,however, by means of a spring 22, which engages the end of the rod 19and also engages against the end wall of the shank ("3.

In the example of my improvement shown in Figs. 1 and 5 thecoupling-head is rigidly attached to a fixed portion oi' the engine, andin this case I employ the locking-block 18, having a short rod extension23, around which is a spring 24, which forces the block forward tolocking position.

Extended upward from the rod 23 through a slot 25 in the top wall oi'the coupling-head is a draw-rod 26, this draw-rod at its upper or outerportion being curved rearward.

In the operation when it is desired to release the first-describedcoupling member from the one having the jaws the block 18 is to be drawnout o'f engagement with the shoulders 17. lhenas the engine moves alongthe coupling-pin 4 will cause the spreading of the jaws, so that the twoconnecting-sections will be readily released one from the other. At thistime the end or' the block 18 will be against the inner edge of thereduced portion 13, as indicated in Fig. 4, thus holding the jaws inopen position. In the act oi' coupling as the pin 4L passes in betweenthe jaws it will strike against the said jaws near the inner end,causing them to swing together and permitting the spring-pressed block18 to pass into locking position, as indicated in Fig. 2. By thetooth-and-notch arrangementbetween the red ueed portions oi' the jawsthe said jaws are caused to operate in unison, even should IOO thecoupling-pin 4 engage with only one of l the jaws as it passes inward.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new anddesire to secureby Letters Patentl. A coupling member comprising a head, jaws pivoted tothe head and having shouldered portions extended into the head,interlocking devices on said shouldered portions, and a locking-blockfor engaging with said shoulders.

2. A coupling mem ber comprising a hollow head, jaws pivoted to the.head and having reduced shouldered portions extended into the head,interlocking devices on said shouldered portions, and a spring-pressedlocking-block for engaging' with said shoulders.

3. A coupling member comprising a hollow head, jaws having swingingconnection with the head, the ends of said jaws at the inner side being'divergent and the inner edges of 'said jaws inward of the divergentportions bel ing concave, the reduced portions or' the jaws j extendedinto the hollow head and each provided with a shoulder, one of saidreduced portions having a tooth, and thc other of said reduced portionshaving a notch to receive the tooth, and a spring-pressedlocking-block lfor engaging' with the shoulders. l

4, A coupling comprising a member having a hollow head, jaws havingswinging connection with the head, said jaws having' portions extendedinto the head and provided with shoulders, interlockingdevices on saidshouldered portions, a spring-pressed locking-block for engaging' withthe shoulders, and another coupling member having' a pin for engagingbetween the jaws.

5. A coupling' member comprising a hollow head having' a tubular shank,a support through which the shank loosely passes, a spring' connectionbetween said support and the shank, jaws pivoted to the head and havinginterlocking shouldered portions extended into the head, a locking-blockfor engagingwith said shoulders, a rod extended from said block intosaid tubular shank, a spring engaging with the inner end of said rod,and means connecting with said rod for drawing the lockingblock out ofits locking position.

ln testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing' witnesses.

JACOB VIENS BULLER.

litnessesz BEN F. KNAPP, Louis l. RICH.

